Chapter 24 of The Return of the Native is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter 24 of The Return of the Native is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Never mind,” said Wildeve; “let’s play with one.” “Agreed,” said Venn. Down they sat again, and recommenced with single guinea stakes; and the play went on smartly. But Fortune had unmistakably fallen in love with the reddleman tonight. He won steadily, till he was the owner of fourteen more of the gold pieces.
Chapter 24 of The Return of the Native is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one
From this reading “He won steadily, till he was the owner of fourteen more of the gold pieces.”
a former British gold coin worth 21 shillings
From this reading “Down they sat again, and recommenced with single guinea stakes; and the play went on smartly.”
(law) someone who owns (is legal possessor of) a business
From this reading “He won steadily, till he was the owner of fourteen more of the gold pieces.”
in a clever manner
From this reading “Down they sat again, and recommenced with single guinea stakes; and the play went on smartly.”
the money risked on a gamble
From this reading “Down they sat again, and recommenced with single guinea stakes; and the play went on smartly.”
On the present night.
From this reading “But Fortune had unmistakably fallen in love with the reddleman tonight.”
without possibility of mistake
From this reading “But Fortune had unmistakably fallen in love with the reddleman tonight.”
English logician who introduced Venn diagrams (1834-1923)
From this reading ““Agreed,” said Venn.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
anew
From this reading Down they sat again, and recommenced with single guinea stakes; and the play went on smartly.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading “Agreed,” said Venn.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Down they sat again, and recommenced with single guinea stakes; and the play went on smartly.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Fortune had unmistakably fallen in love with the reddleman tonight.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Down they sat again, and recommenced with single guinea stakes; and the play went on smartly.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading But Fortune had unmistakably fallen in love with the reddleman tonight.
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading But Fortune had unmistakably fallen in love with the reddleman tonight.
the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one
From this reading He won steadily, till he was the owner of fourteen more of the gold pieces.
coins made of gold
From this reading He won steadily, till he was the owner of fourteen more of the gold pieces.
a former British gold coin worth 21 shillings
From this reading Down they sat again, and recommenced with single guinea stakes; and the play went on smartly.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But Fortune had unmistakably fallen in love with the reddleman tonight.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He won steadily, till he was the owner of fourteen more of the gold pieces.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But Fortune had unmistakably fallen in love with the reddleman tonight.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Never mind,” said Wildeve; “let’s play with one.”
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading But Fortune had unmistakably fallen in love with the reddleman tonight.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading “Never mind,” said Wildeve; “let’s play with one.”
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He won steadily, till he was the owner of fourteen more of the gold pieces.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “Never mind,” said Wildeve; “let’s play with one.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He won steadily, till he was the owner of fourteen more of the gold pieces.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Down they sat again, and recommenced with single guinea stakes; and the play went on smartly.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “Never mind,” said Wildeve; “let’s play with one.”
(law) someone who owns (is legal possessor of) a business
From this reading He won steadily, till he was the owner of fourteen more of the gold pieces.
plural of “piece” — a separate part of a whole
From this reading He won steadily, till he was the owner of fourteen more of the gold pieces.
participate in games or sport
From this reading “Never mind,” said Wildeve; “let’s play with one.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Down they sat again, and recommenced with single guinea stakes; and the play went on smartly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But Fortune had unmistakably fallen in love with the reddleman tonight.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Never mind,” said Wildeve; “let’s play with one.”
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Down they sat again, and recommenced with single guinea stakes; and the play went on smartly.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading Down they sat again, and recommenced with single guinea stakes; and the play went on smartly.
in a clever manner
From this reading Down they sat again, and recommenced with single guinea stakes; and the play went on smartly.
the money risked on a gamble
From this reading Down they sat again, and recommenced with single guinea stakes; and the play went on smartly.
at a steady rate or pace
From this reading He won steadily, till he was the owner of fourteen more of the gold pieces.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Down they sat again, and recommenced with single guinea stakes; and the play went on smartly.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Down they sat again, and recommenced with single guinea stakes; and the play went on smartly.
up to a particular time
From this reading He won steadily, till he was the owner of fourteen more of the gold pieces.
On the present night.
From this reading But Fortune had unmistakably fallen in love with the reddleman tonight.
without possibility of mistake
From this reading But Fortune had unmistakably fallen in love with the reddleman tonight.
English logician who introduced Venn diagrams (1834-1923)
From this reading “Agreed,” said Venn.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He won steadily, till he was the owner of fourteen more of the gold pieces.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Down they sat again, and recommenced with single guinea stakes; and the play went on smartly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Never mind,” said Wildeve; “let’s play with one.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Never mind,” said Wildeve; “let’s play with one.”
the basic unit of money in South Korea
From this reading He won steadily, till he was the owner of fourteen more of the gold pieces.
Chapter 24 of The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy holds 211 sentences, grouped into 43 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 24 holds 211 sentences of The Return of the Native, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 211 sentences, grouped into 43 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 24 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8619 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #122 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #122, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1724 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Return of the Native section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Return of the Native to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Return of the Native, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
